Pakistani entrepreneur Hassan Ahmed, originally from Peshawar, has helped secure a $62.5 million Series B funding round for customer conversation platform Respond.io, marking one of the largest funding rounds involving a Pakistani-founded technology venture.
The investment was led by Camber Partners, a New York-based investor known for backing companies such as Dropbox and Pipedrive. Existing investors also participated, including Endeavor Catalyst, whose board is chaired by Reid Hoffman.
Founded in 2017, Respond.io provides AI-powered software that enables businesses to manage customer interactions across platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram, and WeChat.
The company currently serves more than 10,000 businesses in over 180 countries and processes more than 2 billion customer messages every quarter.
The size of the funding round highlights the scale of the achievement. Pakistan-based startups raised approximately $36.6 million in disclosed equity funding across 10 rounds in 2025, while broader estimates that include hybrid financing placed total startup funding at $74.23 million.
Even at the higher estimate, Respond.io’s $62.5 million funding round nearly matches the amount raised by Pakistan’s entire startup ecosystem in some recent years.
Industry observers say the figures underline the difference in capital availability between Pakistani founders operating in global markets and startups building within Pakistan, where venture funding remains well below the record levels seen in 2021 and 2022.
Respond.io has grown to $35 million in annual recurring revenue and reported year-on-year growth of 169 percent while maintaining a profit margin of around 30 percent.
The startup was founded by CEO Gerardo Salandra, Hassan Ahmed, and COO Iaroslav Kudritskiy in Hong Kong before relocating its headquarters to Kuala Lumpur in 2019.
The newly raised capital will be used to expand operations across North America and Europe, support hiring plans, and pursue strategic acquisitions. The company said it is already in discussions with potential acquisition targets in both regions.
Although Respond.io is headquartered in Malaysia and is not included in Pakistan’s startup funding databases, the funding round remains significant for Pakistan as Hassan Ahmed is among a small group of Pakistani founders who have helped build globally scaled technology companies backed by leading international investors.
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